MacCristay Early Origins

The surname MacCristay was first found in Edinburghshire, a former county, now part of the Midlothian council area where they held a family seat at Carvant. By 1296 they had moved northward to Stirlingshire and there is a section of the Stirling Antiquary called "the Christies and their doings." A charter from 1457 granted by the abbot of Lindores mentions John Chrysty as a burgess. Later, John Chryste was listed as burgess of Aberdeen in 1530.

MacCristay Spelling Variations

MacCristay Spelling Variations

The appearance of the printing press and the first dictionaries in the last few hundred years did much to standardize spelling. Prior to that time scribes spelled according to sound, a practice that resulted in many spelling variations. MacCristay has been spelled Christie, Chrystie, Chrysty, Christy, McChristie, McChristy, Christe, Christi and many more.

MacCristay Early History

MacCristay Early History

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our MacCristay research. Another 205 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 189 and are included under the topic Early MacCristay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

MacCristay Early Notables (pre 1700)

MacCristay Early Notables (pre 1700)

More information is included under the topic Early MacCristay Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

MacCristay In Ireland

MacCristay In Ireland

Some of the MacCristay family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. Another 103 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

The Great Migration

The Great Migration

The expense of the crossing to the North American colonies seemed small beside the difficulties of remaining in Scotland. It was a long and hard trip, but at its end lay the reward of freedom. Some Scots remained faithful to England and called themselves United Empire Loyalists, while others fought in the American War of Independence. Much of this lost Scottish heritage has been recovered in the last century through Clan societies and other patriotic Scottish organizations. A search of immigration and passenger lists revealed many important, early immigrants to North America bearing the name of MacCristay: Agnes Christie settled in Maryland in 1736; Thomas settled in Georgia in 1732; Richard settled in St. Christopher in 1635; Alexander Christy arrived in New York in 1738.

Motto

Motto

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Citations

Citations

Other References

Black, George F. The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3).

Skordas, Guest. Ed. The Early Settlers of Maryland an Index to Names or Immigrants Complied from Records of Land Patents 1633-1680 in the Hall of Records Annapolis, Maryland. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1968. Print.

Bowman, George Ernest. The Mayflower Reader A Selection of Articales from The Mayflower Descendent. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing. Print.

The MacCristay Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The MacCristay Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.